


The Elysian Manuscripts

by Immortes



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:22:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26086396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Immortes/pseuds/Immortes
Summary: This is my archive for my Create-A-Clan game from Chickensmoothie.com! Create-a-Clan is a forum game where you build up your own warrior clan from the ground up! All warrior cat credit goes to the Hunters!
Kudos: 7





	1. OVERVIEW

They are beings of a primordial race, survivors from a darker ancient time when even star clan was nothing more than a mere whisper. They came before it, actually, and brazen and defiant, they were a proud race of warriors and valkyries that could nowadays be imagined as constellations in the sky. As the flame in their hearts spread to the streets, they walk through it ruthlessly, cold, cutthroat, and fierce. Initially, you would think that this particular group of combatants are rough, dog-eat-dog thieves who prefer to kill first, ask questions later. That’s only if you get on their bad side. That’s only if you threaten them; in which case you better hope God is on your side. These cats are absolutely pitiless and iron-fisted when it comes to the topic of defense and loyalty. Heed their motto well: duty first, unto death.

The elysian dynasty makes their home in a very ancient yet majestic castle that has since been abandoned for many many centuries. By some miracle, the castle is still intact, and its luster and majesty is undiminished. The territory is a barren tundra-like mountain range where prey is scarce and the bounties of the land may only be harvested by the highest echelon of hunters and huntresses. The main path leading up to the camp passes by a frozen waterfall where the high lord will communicate with the dead in times of need or guidance. The priest and his apprentice are also permitted to set foot in this holy space. No other cat may ever set foot into the pond. Shedding blood that drips into the pool is an executable offense no questions asked, for it represents the defilement of the purity of the water, and thus the deity.

The dynasty is polytheistic - and they pray to one goddess called the Empress, the giver of life. She is called the mother because she gave life to the kingdom itself. Life flowed from her paws into the emperor himself. 


	2. ALLEIGANCES

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note that all character reference lineart may not be used or copied. It is created solely for CAG (Create a Game) usage only. Thanks! :)

> _**The Royals ** _

**High Lord**  
[Borealstar](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/708367479751049226/708367666234130500/borealstar.png): medium-furred gray mackerel tabby tom with olive-green eyes

 **High Consort**  
[Ravenglade](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/722456740440047679/722456780860424282/consort.png): medium-furred black molly with orange eyes

 **Crown** **Prince  
**[Tempestkit](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/744924982936731718/744929920282656768/borealraven_kit2.png): long furred dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

 **Royal Children  
**[Tempestkit](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/744924982936731718/744929920282656768/borealraven_kit2.png): long furred dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes  
[Stormkit](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/744925000791752756/744930780761030686/borealraven_kit4.png): dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes  
[Wolfkit](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/744925010300371034/745096127048843336/borealraven_kit5.png): long furred dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes  
[Darkkit](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/744925027425845298/745096695037165658/borealraven_kit6.png): dark brown tabby molly with yellow eyes  
[Lionkit](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/744924974485209188/744925919529009274/borealraven_kit1.png): fluffy dark brown tabby molly with yellow eyes  
[Pythonkit](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/744924991262556280/744930408457699388/borealraven_kit3.png): dark tabby molly with honey-yellow eyes

> _**Clergymen ** _

**High Priest**  
[Sagewhisper](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/712701800280490084/712701823139446854/sagewhisper.png): shorthair brown bengal tom

 **Priests / Priestesses  
**[Marlinstripe](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/740932171232968805/741059699109134366/glacier.png) Blue van tom with leaf-green eyes

 **Celestial Understudies  
**[Marblepaw](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/732401756423847996/732401771330404392/reeses_pieces_kit.png): Long furred chocolate calico molly with one green eye and one orange eye  
[Blizzardpaw](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/738050120024588309/738050150294880406/blizzardpaw.png): Shorthair mink chocolate bengal tom with light blue eyes

> _** The High Bloods ** _

**Royal Advisor**  
[Cardinalgaze](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/708367788359680020/708367855112028160/cardinalgaze.png): Sturdy medium-haired ginger tabby tom with yellow eyes

 **Sable Shrike**  
[Smokehaze](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/712701547703697459/712701606680068146/smokehaze.png): Long-furred pure white Persian with yellow eyes

**Elysian Guard**

> _** The Military ** _

**Battalion**  
[Aquilegapool](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/718099540158185592/718099621066309642/aquilegapool.png): Slender silver tabby molly with blue eyes  
[Duskcloud](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/718503487977160796/718503585545060362/ospreyback.png): Large blue-grey tabby tom with pale yellow-brown eyes  
↠ **Apprentice** Minkpaw   
[Magnoliafur](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/715182432848052304/715182564884873236/jadewish.png): pure white tom with coffee brown eyes   
[Seraphwind](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/707355782089408532/707571482699497502/heavenbreeze_birthday.png): ~~chubby~~ angel pointed tom   
↠ **Apprentice** Asterpaw  
[Foxstep](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/722457331853688853/722465783677976586/Mociswing.png): ginger and white spotted tabby tom  
↠ **Apprentice** Sablepaw  
[Peregrineswoop](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/730079808096305212/730079854594359507/pergerine.png): chocolate-brown tabby molly with green eyes and three white feet  
↠ **Apprentice** Tealpaw  
[Russetglide](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/732414112931250246/732414125958758510/cac_tryout_2.png): fluffy red tabby molly with lighter patches and green eyes  
↠ **Apprentice** Rosepaw   
[Koiscale](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/734921426460737567/734921549941047406/arsonists_lullabye.png): ginger and pale cream molly with blue-violet eyes and a split ear   
[Hornetsnap](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/748362152540373014/748362182194102332/image0.png): long furred tabby van molly with one blue eye and one green eye  
[Ghoulshade](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/753354492954804365/753354551901421609/image0.png): shorthaired solid black with low white and copper eyes 

**Initiates  
**[Minkpaw](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/738050506475175937/738050575144452137/minkpaw.png): siamese tom with blue eyes  
[Rosepaw](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/738051190444523581/738051229116268642/duchess-frost-kit3growth.png): ginger tabby tom with one yellow eye and one green eye  
[Tealpaw](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/737003268303093850/737003348460306562/duchess-frost-kit2-growth.png): long-furred tortoiseshell molly with yellow eyes   
[Sablepaw](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/738050667616403506/738050741666709584/duchess-frost-kit1growth.png): black tom with green eyes  
[Asterpaw](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/729702269267738634/729728612336533603/17071851_XUBWHHZDEpOnoIW.png): grey tabby tom with emerald green eyes

**Veterans**

> _**The Nursery** _

**Dames**  
[Starlingmoon](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/709406099899547758/709406125136674937/8.png): Long-furred pure black molly with yellow eyes   
[Lacefeather](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/744924284828385350/744928632111235212/oreo_milkshake.png): black and white molly with blind blue eyes

**Younglings**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More cats will be added as they come into play! :)


	3. MOON 1

If ruhn thought that he had learned to predict the north’s storms, he should not have been surprised when screeching winds assaulted him in the middle of his hunt. It forced him to the ground, pinning him with an invisible hand, and the rabbit he had been tracking achieved freedom at last. The gale-force winds raced across the flat fields with a bear’s ferocity, wailing like a thousand battle cries.

Granted, he was no stranger to bitterly cold weather; it was where he was reared and raised. it was the same weather that stole the life of the unfortunate exiles. Should you have been so unlucky as to have been removed from the clan’s safe bounds, it was sufficient punishment for any sin. Kept the cats in line, to the point where they entirely tolerated the madness caused by their lord. Til the dissent and fury exploded unto them, burning the dynasty to ashes. There had been no word as to where coleushaze and lotuspearl had gone to after their father ultimately decided that the shadowed kingdom was no more. What clan would take in two cats with such a tainted, scarred bloodline? coleushaze was a killer, just like his father. Wherever he went, cats would see it clear as day. Despite all said, however, ruhn would never deny that he shared many traits with the black brute.

Anyone seeing them together could put two-and-two together, as the expression went. iladar had given ruhn lean build and icy green eyes. Iladar had given ruhn swift and merciless speed and instinct that had allowed the grey tabby tom to survive in this frozen wasteland longer than most.

ruhn’s training had begun by the moment he could walk and open his eyes, close to his fifth moon. The sole surviving kit to a rogue father and a fragile mother who had closed her eyes forever soon after ruhn was three moons old. Her son never really knew her; he only really heard of her from when his father would occasionally visit his mate’s resting place. The training was severe, brutal, and unyielding, and he hardly listened to another whisper from another cat. ruhn eventually grew into a fair huntsman, a cat of few words that melded with the snow and wind.

He knew, vaguely, what she-his mother- looked like; long grey fur and warm golden eyes with an easy laugh and a furious, un-tamable spirit. She was as free as a mustang-running like thunder over the land.

The high range bellowed with the calls of natural flora and fauna, as well as the elements. But ruhn’s whiskers twitched as he heard, once again, the ghostly howling that did not stem from the wind. It was a ghost-cry, a wail from a lost spirit that had not yet found his/her way to the resting place. ruhn was well-versed in mythological lore, but he watched in shock as the wind started to take on shape and color. What was once invisible wind began to glow with starlight, blinding the silver brute. Green eyes shone out of the mist, the color of leaves and jade—a similar shade to his own. The wind, blessed by some supernatural force, took on the shape of a muscular tom with long ebony fur shot through with starlight silver. His gait was remarkably unhurried, yet he stood tall with purpose and pride glimmering in his eyes. The grey tabby tensed immediately, lips peeling back from his teeth as a snarl rumbled from his maw. The thunderstorm blazing from the other’s evil golden eyes quelled to a sterner force.

ruhn knew who he was without even having to be introduced.

Every cat knew the Warbringer, the master of death, war, and fate.

óminni did not come alone either. With a flick of óminni’s tail, four other cats slipped out on either side of him. ruhn identified them as the heavenly gods from their raw beauty. The fierce-looking dark tabby fae was nemain, the sovereign or called by some more formally, the mother. A sleek white molly flanked him with all-seeing eyes that stared right through him even as she angled her head-and her attention at him. chairnor-the maiden. ruhn lowered his muzzle appropriately before the three celestial beings before him.

"Ruhn." the mother acknowledged him by name, her voice thrumming like velvet over the ground, "son of the wild-ling rogues. I welcome you to the ancient elysian tundra. Rise and stand tall before us." the grey tabby straightened to meet nemain's blazing amber optics with his golden ones. "you are a sworn resident of this mountains-and a native to the winter. At this moment, I, by the power of the primordial order, crown you emperor of the elysian dynasty."

Her words caused ruhn to start. ” I have no bloodline as the claim to the crown." The grey tabby brute said, almost disbelievingly to himself. He must be dreaming at this point, yet his eyes refused to close. Him? A lowly rogue - emperor?

"unknown to you, you do. chairnor replied calmly. "you call yourself the son of Lucifer, do you not?" ruhn nodded affirmation. "lucifer - or as he was formerly known - prince skyshadow - was the second-born heir to the royal house. His younger brother has since passed, and his older has dishonored his claim. 'dishonored his claim' was a bland euphemism for the bloodshed, which left no one else to compete for the crown, only one to inherit.

"Does he — ." one look from óminni made his gut twist. So, iladar did know; that his homeland had fallen apart and that he was not king anymore. There was now a target on his back, and he knew that once iladar received word from a messenger, there would be nothing standing between them and full out war. It was only a matter of when. It was not a notion that sat well with him; it made him feel tense, anxious, and alert.

"by the grace of our presence, when you face his wrath, you'll be ready." the sovereign, the high mother said in a low voice. "swear your fealty; by the flesh, blood and by bone, to this dynasty. and let it be reborn."

Ruhn’s lips moved, but whatever sound came out, the words he uttered were theirs alone-and their music was whisked away by the winter gale.

  
  



	4. MOON 2

The past moon, borealstar, had been more than content to spend his time in solitude. It gave him time with silence and with his thoughts.

  
Communication with the gods commenced at a regular pace. Still, any news regarding the enigmatic legion who'd taken up residence in the mountains just due west of here was sparse. The grey tom couldn't blame the gods for their reticence as much as it annoyed him. He could only acknowledge and assume that the legion was keeping to themselves for once.

Good. At least the rogues weren't trying to kill him outright.

Even though the cold rendered most parts of the mountain stuck in a frozen limbo between life and certain death, there were some signs of life to be found—the barest vicissitudes. The hill also yielded the most diverse (and the weirdest) selection of prey to be devoured. He found himself developing a diet that ranged from the smallest chipmunk to the impressive hawk. He ate like the king he was, blessing the gods above with each meal.

  
That being said, borealstar knew full well how cruel the wintery chill this mountain could be. He'd seen prey that had met an icy grave. Other cats, too, if they were unprepared, met the same fate. borealstar knew how to deal with it head-on, but the elements combined with a full-on attack from the legion would most likely be devastating.  
The territory was expansive, but the crowning jewel was indeed where borealstar had chosen to set up camp. Because boy oh boy, the sable temple that stood proudly on the hills was the perfect emblem for his people to flourish. It was fortified enough that opponents would think twice in an invasion, but inside, the stately rooms brought a familial warmth for the princely tom.

Alas, before the moon concluded, something else had to be accomplished. It shouldn't actually come as a surprise for a pious persona like borealstar, but he was always one to take prayer, and celestial communication very very seriously. This prayer was one of request; the high lord beseeched the heavenly gods above for an advisor. It was a vital step toward rebuilding; surely, there was a reasonable tom out there who would be suitable?

✦✦✦

Lysander was among the genteel cats in the neighborhood, and all the fellow house-cats on the block called him a gentleman of good breeding. his ginger coat was sleek and groomed to perfection each day. He had a polished accent to his words that, combined with his charisma, was quite beautiful. He was known for an excellent temper, so it was rather..strange when he bristled when a lithe siamese male leaped upon his fence and beckoning him with a flick of his tail. The bloody audacity immediately rubbed Lysander the wrong way, but (the first time) he found himself quickly silenced by the siamese's unusually blue gaze. It burned like lightning, yet at times it was colder than the northern wind. Each time, the mysterious tom never stayed long enough to give the ginger a message; a king, a high lord, waited for him in the mountains.

  
The first few times, needless to say, Lysander dismissed the stranger rather abruptly, his sharp golden eyes narrowing with what was starting to become an irritation. He had his place in the neighborhood; he had his own little rule if acting the advisor for any little squabble was considered the standard. The other cats sought him out for his opinion on almost any topic, be it love or the local gossip. There were a few rules that he helped to remind the other cats of too, though they were unspoken; stay away from the clans came first and foremost; the house cats, after all, had nothing to do with the other larger groups who treated them with disdain.

This was where Lysander frequently became an eccentricity.

The high lord, at least to Lysander, was a male who commanded respect, appearance, and the way he carried himself. The lord’s most prominent features, at least to him, were tom’s eyes. They appeared to be mint -green at some angles, but they too were amber, as if flame seemed to burn within them. And the shadows, the darkness seemed to be haunting the brute, troubling those eyes. It was a thick, roiling mass that forced Lysander to cower.

The warmth…the comfort and luxury soon bored the ginger tom. Lysander had the belief that he intended to be more than a creature chained to the twoleg’s beck and call. He bid goodbye to his friend Altamira, a black fae who lived next to him, and after she offered him well and helped him wrest off his collar, he hit the road. The journey to the mountainside tundra was a long one, and much of the territory turned out to be very strenuous to traverse. But what could a kittypet like him expect?

He rested when he needed to and followed the setting or rising sun. Bit by bit, the signs of Lysander’s kittypet past started to shed from him. Superfluous flesh left his bones, to be replaced by hard muscle. His usual spoiled demeanor left him too, as his shortcomings constantly humbled him. He counted that the journey took five sunrises and four evenings in total. Each night when his eyelids drooped from fatigue, he was visited by the siamese male with the unnatural blue eyes; the tom called him cardinalgaze, the royal advisor of the elysian dynasty. Lysander stuck to his old name, for what it was worth; though he had a feeling, it would be among the last parts of him to change. Even the high lord would be hard-pressed.

It wasn’t until the rise of the sun on the fifth day of Lysander's travels that he ran into the high lord at last. He had just woken up and wanted to hunt for some breakfast when he stopped in his tracks by a very firm snarl—a snarl of warning. The ginger tom whirled on his heels and faced the grey tabby brute from his dreams. The brute’s hackles were high, and his unsheathed claws warned his adversary that one wrong step would entail harsh retribution. Early in the morning, Lysander was in no mood for a struggle, and as such, he sat down and tucked his tail around his paws. A suitable indication, if any, that he bore no ill-will.

“Borealstar, I presume?” Lysander mewed, keeping his tone as amicable as possible. “I was sent by the emissary.”

“Is that all you are going to tell me?” borealstar - and this was the cat that Lysander had been asked to find - asked, his tone icy calm, with the authority of one who knew he was in charge. “No one tolerates a trespasser. state your name and purpose.”

  
Lysander winced internally, struggling to keep his hackles down at the open hostility in the other’s tone. This was a no-nonsense persona. one slip up and Lysander knew that there was no way that he was going to escape from this encounter unscathed. “My birth name is Lysander, but the emissary called me Cardinalgaze, royal advisor of the elysian dynasty.”

  
The tom before cardinalgaze tossed the name around on his tongue before he half-shrugged in a gesture that would likely indicate acceptance. cardinalgaze breathed in relief. Good, so at least nobody was going to get hurt. Not now, at least. “well, that’s a fine name.” borealstar said amicably enough. He seemed satisfied that cardinalgaze was not threatening - or perhaps he was just happy to find another kin. “we have time on our side. There is much to discuss. but first, let’s go hunting.”

✦✦✦

“…and the veterans are the retired.” borealstar finished, concluding his rather formal description of the dynasty’s ranks. The two toms had just wrapped up hunting on the western side of the border-where the mountainside gave way to dense woodland. It seemed to be the only sign of life and warmth; the mountainside was a frozen and barren landscape. Despite his initial misgivings, borealstar had to admit that cardinalgaze was a good company, whether the ginger tom knew it. It would appear that the sentinel had chosen wisely. He would be the first, though definitely not the last to join.

As it turned out, the second cat was not very prudent, especially since he announced his presence with a loud snap.

Both toms whirled, cardinalgaze's fur standing on end as his bright golden gaze darted wildly between the dense spruce woodland. The only green in an otherwise fallow land; an oasis in a frozen desert. At the same time as borealstar, his gaze came to rest on a slender black-and-white tom. The newcomer's eyes were wide, his face half contorted in a grimace of chagrin and ambiguity? The two parties watched each other for a moment before the stranger spoke up.

"Hello." it was but a simple word. A greeting offered up; the voice tremulous. The sound carried no sign of hatred, and nor did the tom's bright leaf-green optics. borealstar and cardinalgaze exchanged glances as if both were somehow tongue-tied.

 _Is it just me, or does he look like Altamira?_ cardinalgaze's brow furrowed slightly. He hadn't seen the black-and-white fae in a while, once his closest friend and now another kittypet and stranger. Oh, how times had changed.

"Hello yourself, young lad." borealstar replied in a surprisingly amenable tone of voice. His words had the desired effect; the newcomer's ears pricked attentively, and he straightened. Standing up, he only got up to cardinalgaze's muzzle. The black and white tom lacked brawn. cardinalgaze had a feeling that he lacked in strength, he could make up in speed, with adequate training, of course.

"m' name is vættr." the black and white tom prefaced clearly, his eyes continually flicking between cardinalgaze and borealstar as if trying to keep both in view. He was still antsy; his ebony tail swished back and forth as if it had a mind of its own. "totally sorry to... uh, have interrupted your conversation. I heard about a clan near here?"  
Again, another exchange of glances. vættr had yet to decide who, honestly, was scarier. He was on their land, that much was clear.

✦✦✦


	5. MOON 3

“If summer is this cold, how bad is the winter?” frostshade asked his lord as the two set out one early dawn morning for a hunt near the silver waterfall that flowed in the more verdant side of the elysian territory. he had pushed aside any worries about the colder temperature earlier in his eagerness to explore more of the territory, but presently, he could see why he would’ve rather stayed in his warm nest. the ubiquitous cold, despite his earlier expectations, had a swift and very unpleasant bite. his bright jade-green eyes were narrowed as they battled against a particularly resilient gale. the sky above the trio, for cardinalgaze accompanied them, was a pale downy grey streaked with baby pink and lavender.

“winter is cruel at times.” borealstar replied to his huntsman evenly, meeting the black bicolor tom’s pale jade optics with his own, “however, by winter, you would have survived summer and autumn.” frostshade had hailed from a lone peripatetic caravan from a desert past the forest, so the cold temperature was not in his favor. “the cold will not have conquered you.” borealstar’s voice and demeanor were cold as a fang to your jugular, and he had a reclusive nature. he was a brute honed and trained in both survival and combat; one that commanded authority. cardinalgaze, the ginger tabby that had arrived one sunrise before him, was a different matter. despite being a stickler for rules, frostshade found that he was more amicable than normal. the black bicolor had the faintest notion that cardinalgaze had tired of his antics days though he couldn’t be sure. the royal advisor had a way of masking his emotions in favor of diplomacy. however, it was clear that he had taken frostshade under his wing.

cardinalgaze dropped back from his place of honor next to the lord’s side and put his tail tip to frostshade’s shoulder. “if you survived the desert, you can survive here.” he said firmly, “the gods do not lead those who are unworthy of us here.”

 _the gods. right._ frostshade tried to keep his snort of exasperation silent. ever since he’d sworn himself in to the rank of a huntsman, cardinalgaze had brought up the dynasty’s religion on a constant basis. enough to make frostshade want to stuff moss in his ears. everything tied back to the holy molly, and her various incarnations. the only gods he was familier with, was the gods of his old home, the gods he had prayed to when he’d called himself vættr. right as cardinalgaze had opened his maw to reply, borealstar cut into their thoughts. his voice was much more cordial this time, and if not somewhat curious. “i assume you have never done fishing before, frostshade?”

caught off guard, the black and white tom shook his head. to be frank, he had never spent much time near very large bodies of water before.

“i’ll have to teach you.” borealstar shook out his pelt nonchalantly, “fish makes up a considerable amount of the prey.” he turned to cardinalgaze, who was standing expectantly at attention beside the bicolor tom. “i assume i can trust you to be sent out on a solo patrol?”

“yes, my lord.” cardinalgaze responded promptly.

“very well. we will meet up again here at mid-day.”

* * *

the sparse foliage of the tundra thickened and the smooth earth soothed cardinalgaze’s pads as he made his way north-west. the pebbles and grass gave way to a lush, dense woodland. now that he realized it, he had never quite gotten time to appreciate the simplistic beauty of the woodland that surrounded the tundra. it was not anything extravagant, per sé, but it was something. despite himself, cardinalgaze was unable to stifle a sound yawn that parted his jaws wide. embarrassed, he snapped his jaws shut with a click. a quick scan of his surroundings reported no prying eyes. _thank the mother nobody saw that_. he thought sheepishly. borealstar would be disappointed, to say the least. the thought of reporting this to the tom’s piercing viridian gaze had him moving again.

unnoticed by the tom’s cursory gaze, a young molly crouched in the underbrush. she was about similar in age to the high lord. clever baby blue eyes scanned the clearing before she glided silently from view. this molly, named aquilla, was clever. like ruhn, she had lived her entire life in this area. aquilla was taught by a cat whose name she had long forgotten. even in the vast plains of her old home, aquilla remained somewhat invisible. unnoticed. but that was what happened when you were the youngest daughter in a family of five. she had remained in the shadow of her older sisters and brothers for practically her whole life until she found herself all alone at the age of two years. turns out that twolegs had taken her family away in her sleep. aware that she had been staring, aquilla quickly moved away.

unfortunately, that was where her lucky streak ended. the muscular ginger tom must have caught her scent or heard her, who knows - because he adopted a tense on-alert stance and said loudly in her general direction. “you’re currently trespassing on elysian territory. explain your purpose for trespassing or leave.”

straightening up, she delicately picked her way out of her little observational perch, meeting the tom’s gaze as steadily as possible. she was aware that he could pounce at any moment, so she attempted to keep her voice light. “my apologies.” her tail was twitching, betraying her anxiety at being caught. “is the elysian dynasty a clan?”

the tom gave her a deadpan look as if to say obviously, but his gaze was courteous enough to mask any irritation as he nodded. he certainly didn’t seem about to attack her, but she kept her guard up. “it is where i hail from. we live in the tundra to the north.” he furrowed his brow slightly in curiosity “why did you come?”

“i’m seeking a new home after twolegs took away most of my family.” the words were out before she could stop them and aquilla mentally rebuked herself for being so stupid.

the ginger tom sighed, gaze softening, “i have to bring you to the high lord for judgement. court law demands it.” aquilla’s stomach sank at his words. whoever the lord was, she had a distinct feeling that this talk would not be diplomatic. seeing her expression, the ginger tom added. “oh, he’s not as bad as he sounds. not unless you threaten us that is.” he turned on his heel, waving his tail briskly to her, the indication to follow him obvious. “my name is cardinalgaze. and you?”

“aquilla.” she responded evenly, _mother said it means dove._

* * *

the sun was approaching its midday peak when cardinalgaze rendezvoused with frostshade and borealstar with aquilla in tow. frostshade was grinning with a plump salmon in his jaw. another lay in his paws. clearly, the fishing lessons had been somewhat of a success if frostshade had been able to catch not one, but two salmon. the black bicolor turned his jubilant face to cardinalgaze, but it dimmed as he took in the cat who accompanied the royal advisor. cardinalgaze’s heart skipped a beat at the look. borealstar spoke at the same exact time. “i see you have picked up a guest.”

the ginger tabby gulped as though taken aback. aquilla could see why. the high lord, that was the lord she assumed, was intimidating. his voice, though quiet and velvety smooth, cut through the air like a knife through hot butter. three seconds, and he’d had her attention. three seconds and he’d cowed her.

the silver brute turned to her. “what is your name.”

cardinalgaze attempted a response before words came to her mouth, “my lord, her name i—.”

“i asked _her_ , cardinalgaze.” borealstar cut him off effortlessly, stoic expression not wavering in the slightest. “she will speak for herself.” the ginger tom bowed and stepped back from aquilla’s side, bowing his head in deference with a murmured apology. aquilla found herself facing the high lord alone.

“well?” borealstar prompted.

“my name is aquilla, sir.” she spoke quickly, hoping that the addition of a title would help her avoid a fight.

“how come my royal advisor found you?” borealstar asked the pale silver tabby, “or perhaps a different question, why are you here on our territory.”

aquilla found herself shifting again anxiously, suddenly uncomfortable under the silver brute’s gaze. cadinalgaze’s tail swished over the grass behind them, the sound strangely comforting. _speak, for god’s sake_. “i’m lost.”

the tom eyed her curiously, pursing his lips as if he was unused to such a response. behind her, cardinalgaze had moved on to speak to the slender black and white tom in low voices, possibly congratulating him on the successful hunting trip. “you need a new home. perhaps that is the reason that my royal advisor, cardinalgaze brought you here.”

an uncomfortable silence weighed between the two, to which aquilla quickly broke. “are you the ‘high lord’?”

“yes.” borealstar confirmed her earlier reckonings. “my name is borealstar.” his voice became more serious and formal. “we have space in the castle and clan to take you in. the oath you must take is a sacred one, unbreakable by any means.” he stood up at last, and waved his tail to the two other subordinates, “we’ll patrol again together at midday. come with us now to the castle. you will swear yourself in beneath the eyes of the Emperor.” aquilla found her breath come back when she saw cardinalgaze flash her a glance. he’d been right; borealstar was not as intimidating as she’d initially believed. heads and tails high, the quartet made their slow meandering way into the sacred tundra of the Elysian Dynasty.


End file.
